Swansea striker Michu could call time on injury-plagued career

Just three years ago, Michu was being heralded as the bargain of the century following an impressive haul of 18 Premier League goals in his debut season.

Having signed for a measly £2 million, there was talk of the Spaniard moving on for ten times that figure the following summer.

Less than two years on from making his international debut, however, rumours have emerged that Michu's fall from grace might finally reach its denouncement, with the Swansea striker considering retirement from football, according to Wales Online.

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Michu flourished under former Swans boss Michael Laudrup, who signed him from Rayo Vallecano. He earned rave reviews when playing the 'false nine' role in the Dane's possession-orientated side, leading them to the Europa League via an emphatic League Cup triumph.

In October 2013, Michu even earned a first-ever call-up to the Spain squad, featuring in one game against Belarus.

It seemed that Swansea had secured the bargain of the century - somebody set to take the Premier League by storm for years to come.

This begs the question, then: How on earth did it come to this for Michu, contemplating retirement at the age of 29?

Michu's past two seasons have been heavily disrupted by ankle injuries, limiting the forward to just five appearances last season. His time out with injury seemed to coincide with the Swans' decline in form, subsequently leaving boss Michael Laudrup to face the sack at the Liberty Stadium.

Despite being the lynchpin in the Dane's successful League Cup-winning side, Michu failed to impress new boss Garry Monk quite as much. It appeared that he didn't fit in with Monk's slightly more direct style of play, which required more of a spearhead in the lone striker role.

Of course, it doesn't help when the striker who has benefited from your spell on the sidelines is Wilfried Bony, who was simply irrepressible upon his arrival in Wales. Trying to dislodge a man who netted 16 times in his debut season was going to be no mean feat for any striker.

Michu subsequently moved on loan to Napoli for the 2014-15 season, where injuries and poor form limited him to just five goalless appearances in Italy, struggling to earn game time ahead of Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne.

This left many doubting whether he could ever reach the heights that he had shown in his Swansea pomp, or whether injuries had ravaged him permanently.

Upon his return to Swansea, Michu was informed that he could leave the club, with Bafetimbi Gomis now firmly established as first-choice.

He has spent recent months struggling to secure a move away, with many clubs reluctant to take a risk on the injury-prone forward, particularly with his rumoured £40,000-per-week wages. He has also been unable to reach an agreement with Swansea as of yet to secure the termination of his contract, which is believed would cost the club £1.5million.

There remains hope yet, with Celtic amongst the clubs rumoured to interested, but one cannot help but feel that a star may have finally faded for good.

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